This tiny Fantastic Leaf-tailed Gecko hatched at the Houston Zoo on February 17 is easy to spot perched on top of a pencil. But in the wild, these lizards are so well camouflaged that they’re nearly impossible to find.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Adams / Houston Zoo

Fantastic Leaf-tailed Geckos are found only on Madagascar, where their coloration mimics dead leaves and twigs. Their legs look like tiny branches and their tails resemble dead leaves – complete with veins and ragged edges. Even zoo keepers have a hard time finding the lizards in their enclosure.

This species is also called the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko, due to their pointy, raised brow ridges. Like other Geckos, these lizards lack eyelids, so they clean their eyeballs with a swipe of the tongue. They are nocturnal, feeding mainly on insects.

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Fantastic Leaf-tailed Gecko Hatches at Houston Zoo

This tiny Fantastic Leaf-tailed Gecko hatched at the Houston Zoo on February 17 is easy to spot perched on top of a pencil. But in the wild, these lizards are so well camouflaged that they’re nearly impossible to find.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Adams / Houston Zoo

Fantastic Leaf-tailed Geckos are found only on Madagascar, where their coloration mimics dead leaves and twigs. Their legs look like tiny branches and their tails resemble dead leaves – complete with veins and ragged edges. Even zoo keepers have a hard time finding the lizards in their enclosure.

This species is also called the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko, due to their pointy, raised brow ridges. Like other Geckos, these lizards lack eyelids, so they clean their eyeballs with a swipe of the tongue. They are nocturnal, feeding mainly on insects.